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Scientists have developed a test called Self-Administered Gerocognitive Examination (SAGE test) that might prove to be an efficient and quick tool for evaluating cognitive abilities.

SAGE test, that takes less than 15 minutes to complete has been developed by researchers at The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center.

For testing their developed method, researchers visited 45 community where they asked people to take simple, self-administered test which could detect early cognitive loss or dementia. Around one thousand of people participated in the test, out of which 28 percent were identified with cognitive impairment.

“What we found was that this SAGE self-administered test correlated very well with detailed cognitive testing,” said Dr. Douglas Scharre in the press release, who developed the test with his team at Ohio State.. “If we catch this cognitive change really early, then we can start potential treatments much earlier than without having this test.”

The SAGE test can be taken at home and then the result can be shared with their physicians.

However the test did not diagnose problems like Alzheimer’s but it was capable of providing a baseline of cognitive function in the patients.

“We can give them the test periodically and, the moment we notice any changes in their cognitive abilities, we can intervene much more rapidly,” Scharre said.

Around 5 million Americans are suffering from Alzheimer’s disease and the numbers are expected to rise by three times by 2050.

“Hopefully, this test will help change those situations,” Scharre added. “We are finding better treatments, and we know that patients do much better if they start the treatments sooner than later.”

Findings and development related to the test has been published in the January issue of Journal of Neuropsychiatry and Clinical Neurosciences.